1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computers and, more particularly, to techniques for accessing, saving and operating on files and/or blocks of data using a virtual storage device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Removable storage devices are typically portable devices that users can transport from place to place. Most removable storage devices can store a vast array of user data or files such as electronically stored documents, spread sheets, digital music, digital videos, digital photos, contact lists, electronic mail, applications, as well as other electronically stored data. Removable storage devices available in the market place include, for example and for illustrative purposes only, those products distributed under the trademark names THUMBDRIVE, FLASHDRIVE, IPOD, and the like. Other removable storage devices include, but are not limited to and are presented for illustrative purposes only, compact disk drives, digital video disk drives, and many variations of hard drives, mini-drives, micro-drives, and the like.
Many users transport their removable storage devices from place-to-place and/or computer-to-computer so their files and applications are always with them. If however, the removable storage device is lost, stolen, or damaged, all the files resident on the device might be lost to the user as many users do not backup their data or have not had the opportunity to back up their data to another storage device. If the removable storage device is lost or stolen, the data on the storage device might be accessed by others, potentially exposing the user to identity theft, intellectual property security breach, or other data security breaches. Also, these portable devices are limited in space to the size of the device. There is a need, therefore, to address the above-mentioned problems.